Where are you hunting??? East Texas, West Texas, etc? Makes a difference because how you hunt them will be different. One suggestion I can make, no matter where you go, is carry a good, heavy backup, .357, .44Mag, .41, .50S&W and know how to use it.

Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.

There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living

I hunt hogs all the time in NE Texas, in the Sabine river bottom east of D/FW. I can give you all sorts of tips on how to hunt them, but first, where do you hunt?

Since they are largely nocturnal, I usually hunt them at night, either during a full or 3/4 moon, where you can see a short distance all night long if you use good optics. I hunt them with both bow and rifle. I sometimes use an LED light powered by a 6 or 12V gel-cell battery with a photocell switch that turns the LED cluster on at night. The LED cluster consists of a movable housing with 1- 3 LEDs in it to form a faint light source, either white, red, green, or blue colored. You want only enough light to illuminate a small area maybe 20' in diameter. During the day, a solar panel keeps the battery charged. Mount this setup on a post of some sort, with the LED cluster aimed at a food source of some sort, and setup a tree stand or blind upwind from the food source about 20 yards if you're bow hunting or as far as you wish and can still see the lit area at night if you're rifle hunting. It's best if you place the stand behind the light beam so that if a hog looks toward you, they will get night blindness from the light and won't be able to see you. At first, the light will sometimes spook the hogs, but they gradually get used to seeing it, and in fact eventually associate it with food.

As for the food source, dig a hole in the ground with a post hole digger and fill it with corn. Soured corn is even better due to the smell. Place a large rock or piece of concrete about 25 lbs in weight over the top of the hole and sprinkle some corn around the rock or concrete block. This will cause the hogs to have to work hard at getting to the food and linger at your bait station for long periods of time, which means larger numbers of hogs have time to come to the bait station. You simply wait quietly and give 'em hell!

This method is extremely deadly and perfectly legal in Texas and in many other states. Hogs aren't considered game animals and have no bag limits or restrictions on hunting methods.

I also spot and stalk hunt them during daylight hours. Find the thickest cover in the area you hunt near food and water sources, and if you have hogs, they will usually be there. You can easily spot where they frequent not only by their tracks (which look much like deer tracks but are more rounded and usually a little larger), their droppings, and the fact they dig deep holes in the ground, sometimes in large areas that resemble carpet bombing from a B52. I shoot many hogs during deer season simply while I'm waiting in a stand/blind, because they have many of the same habits and prefer many of the same food sources as deer. Also, use your ears, because they frequently fight each other and make a lot of squealing and snorting noises that travel long distances in the process. When you hear them fighting, literally run toward where they are to make up some ground, and as you get closer, start stalking and scan your surroundings carefully. While they are fighting, their sense of hearing and smell is compromised, so you can more easily sneak up on them.

As for rifles, your deer rifle works fine, but they are much tougher than deer, so use controlled expansion bullets. I often shoot them in the head, where bullet selection isn't very critical, and they always go down immediately, but depending on your shot distance, and the surrounding cover, the head shot may not be a viable option. This is where the tougher bullets are useful, because they have a thick gristle plate surrounding their vitals in the shoulder area.

Good luck! If you need any additional info, don't hesitate to ask.

Ted

Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle.

i use sour corn to an ive hunted with the lites to an mostly i jest kill hogs by siting in my deer blind an throwing out sour corn an jello an dump a beer in it to make it smell good to hogs an ive never had problem shooting a hog or as we call em hawgs!

...Place a large rock or piece of concrete about 25 lbs in weight over the top of the hole and sprinkle some corn around the rock or concrete block. This will cause the hogs to have to work hard at getting to the food and linger at your bait station...

that's a good idea. sneaky - but good lol.

also very nice post overall. very helpful tips. thank you for that.

(p.s. i'm jealous of y'all who live in texas because of the excellent hog hunting you have there!)

(p.s. i'm jealous of y'all who live in texas because of the excellent hog hunting you have there!)

I wage an all-out war on hogs on my hunting lease, because they are so destructive and they compete with deer for forage. I take no prisoners and show no mercy in my hunting methods. We happen to have WAY too many hogs on our lease, largely because it is in river bottom habitat, which hogs love. Despite the fact we kill them frequently, we can't seem to put a noticeable dent in the population.

Ted

Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle.

I hunt hogs just north or east of Houston and do quite well. For baiting, the buried corn works well, as does using the hog wallow bait you can buy at Academy (toss it in a fresh wallow and they love the stuff.)

I have the best luck just before sunset or about midnight. For stalking, be aware that injured, piss off, or mother with babies will charge you; hogs are dangerous game.

I spot-light, on foot and from a vehicle. From vehicle, I prefer a good bolt-gun with lots o' power. On foot, I carry a Socom II with illuminated reticule (always nice to have 20 rounds of .308 whoopass on tap for when Miss Piggy decides to make a stand.)Pay attention to recent rubs and their height above the ground. If you have corn feeders out, hogs love to rub the legs. You can get an idea how big they are by how high up the legs the rubs go.

I can say this from experience (and Remf can back me up): a sow with 2 extra holes in each lung makes a power-scary noise. Last year - about this time, I punched a 175-pound sow with a .270 through both lungs. She spun like a top, ran back toward where she came (where Remf happened to be, armed with nothing but a Kahr 9mm) and stood, for a few seconds, bleeding out on the foliage about 2 feet off the ground. Remf walked up, scared S*&~-less. and put 5 9mm rounds in her brain-housing. So, he reminds me to this day, officially, he killed that hog.

Be wary, be prepared, carry a good gun, put the round where you need it.

They are indeed fun to kill. They ain't fragile like deer, and they do not go quietly into that good night.

that's a good idea. sneaky - but good lol. also very nice post overall. very helpful tips. thank you for that. (p.s. i'm jealous of y'all who live in texas because of the excellent hog hunting you have there!)

I wage an all-out war on hogs on my hunting lease, because they are so destructive and they compete with deer for forage. I take no prisoners and show no mercy in my hunting methods. We happen to have WAY too many hogs on our lease, largely because it is in river bottom habitat, which hogs love. Despite the fact we kill them frequently, we can't seem to put a noticeable dent in the population.

There is an estimated 3-3.5 million hogs in Texas right now, they can breed every 4 months and have litters of 5 average, sometimes more depending on forage. It would take a REALLY concerted effort to show a dent in the population. In some place they trap the boars as young as they can an castrate them and turn them loose for hunting. I too wage war on them... and really like the taste.

Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.

There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living

Yea, you just can't beat Texas hog hunting. I am going again in Sept, this time to West Texas. Had to reschedule due to mission priorities.

Just FYI...I smoked the hog hind quarter for about 3 hours, smothered in BBQ sauce (my own concoction) and moved it to the oven to cook at 140 for the rest of the day. Of course that got the creative juices flowing so venison shoulder and a beef roast are going through the same treatment. The "meat fest" is on... wife and daughter are out shopping, so they will be surprised.

Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.

There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living

Yes, the gas is outrageous. My trip to Texas last weekend cost a little over $325 in gasoline + rental car... getting about 24MPG. Would certainly not have been as much fun, but I could have gotten lots of pork for what i paid per pound for that pig.
Have not had any moose in a long time... last time was about 1987 on a visit to a friend in Ontario. I can still remember the taste though. Bring it on.

Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.

There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living

I sometimes use an LED light powered by a 6 or 12V gel-cell battery with a photocell switch that turns the LED cluster on at night. The LED cluster consists of a movable housing with 1- 3 LEDs in it to form a faint light source, either white, red, green, or blue colored. You want only enough light to illuminate a small area maybe 20' in diameter. During the day, a solar panel keeps the battery charged. Mount this setup on a post of some sort, with the LED cluster aimed at a food source of some sort, and setup a tree stand or blind upwind from the food source about 20 yards if you're bow hunting or as far as you wish and can still see the lit area at night if you're rifle hunting. It's best if you place the stand behind the light beam so that if a hog looks toward you, they will get night blindness from the light and won't be able to see you. At first, the light will sometimes spook the hogs, but they gradually get used to seeing it, and in fact eventually associate it with food.

What a great idea i wouldn't have thought of that one. Is you photo cell a regular 120V cell.

Have you ever tried using a motion sensor to turn the light on. would save on batt life .

Update...all the beef, venison and pork are gone. I took the last of the pig into the office today and it lasted about 15 minutes after everyone got there. Everything that is left, I am making into sausage.

I have another pig hunt, probably in September, now.

Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.

There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living

What a great idea i wouldn't have thought of that one. Is you photo cell a regular 120V cell.

Have you ever tried using a motion sensor to turn the light on. would save on batt life .

Depending on whether it is a 6V or 12V LED cluster, I use either 6V or 12V rechargeable gel-cell batteries that you can get at any Batteries Plus store, feed stores, hardware stores, etc.

I do in fact have 2 setups with motion sensor lights. I took a battery powered motion sensor light that you can buy from Home Depot or Lowes that are designed for use around your home, garage, etc. and replaced the halogen bulb with an LED light cluster of the same voltage. It works pretty well, but keep in mind that battery life will be long anyway, since LED's draw very little amperage. A buddy of mine has a light that stays on constantly, and it's been running non-stop for 2 or 3 years on the same battery! The solar panel keeps the battery trickle charged at a greater rate during the day than it is drawn down at night by the light.

If you do a search on "hog lights," you should find plenty of supplies to make these LED lights. Just make sure it is legal where you hunt.

Ted

Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle.

I hunt in Hawkinsville GA me and a buddy went to fill the feeders this weeked and polished off 4 this weeked. their weight ranged from 80 to 250 lbs all sows. We had the small ones backstraps last night. mmmmmmmmmmmmmm good!!!

Good job, Richard! All feral hogs "need killin'" just by virtue of the fact they're too damn ugly!

So RifleDude, I am going to have my first experience with Western Texas hog hunting in the near future. Have hunted all over East Texas (and once in West Texas, but more a "walk about" than a hog hunt). I have already been informed that they use corn feeders, which I am not accustomed to, am not very enthused about. However, if we can have John McCain and B. Hussein Obama running against each other for president, I guess I can flip-flop, too.
What can I expect for that type of hunting? I am used to tramping through bogs and slews.

Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.

There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living

As long as the stand/blind is setup properly, the only thing you have to concern yourself with is making sure the wind is right, staying quiet, and making the shot count when it presents itself.

I spot and stalk hunt for hogs as well, and I like either method. The baited stand at night method is far deadlier though. Some may say it's not very sporting, but I don't care. When it comes to hog hunting, my goal is to kill as many of them I can as often as possible, because they are a nuisance and you'll never completely wipe them out no matter how hard you try.

Ted

Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle.

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